Overview
- Anonymous sources say the government is exploring protective satellites to identify and counter threats to Indian spacecraft after a mid‑2024 approach within about 1 kilometre of an ISRO satellite in low Earth orbit.
- The close pass involved an Indian satellite conducting defence‑linked mapping and monitoring, and some officials viewed the maneuver as a possible capability demonstration by the other nation, according to the reports.
- Officials are evaluating LiDAR‑equipped sensors integrated with upgraded ground radars and telescopes, with Indian startups being courted to help close a 24x7 space‑tracking gap flagged by a former ISRO director.
- The protection concept is being discussed as part of a larger plan to deploy roughly 50 surveillance satellites worth about ₹27,000 crore, with the first missions targeted for next year, media reports say.
- ISRO and the Department of Space have not commented publicly, while recent hostilities underscored orbital reliance as ISRO’s chairman cited round‑the‑clock support in May and a defence‑ministry group reported Chinese assistance to Pakistan.